Quiet Corners of a Lover's Home
by commodorejinx
Summary: Years go by and, sustaining an ambivalent friendship, Prussia and Hungary come to terms with the fact that their relationship feels special somehow. This revelation does not last long as Hungary must change her life due to her hardships, but Prussia can't leave her side. Even through secrets and danger, they cannot let each other go. PruHun. T for language & themes.
1. Chapter 1

Time and time again, Prussia never ceased to make room in his schedule for bugging Hungary. Her choice to embrace womanhood was easy to prey on, easy to get a reaction from, and what better chance did he have at getting her attention? "Lose the girly getup and go hunting with me!" was what he said most of the time, each and every one met with the threat of a skillet to the face. Still, throughout his visits, there were the scarce moments of pity she would take on him and his "going out of his way only to get rejected;" after he discovered this was an easy way to spend time with her and be invited into her home, he used the tactic at an increasing rate until finally, one day, she simply couldn't be bothered.

"Go away," she ordered. The hem on her dress had been torn in multiple places. If he had known it was a sensitive time, maybe he would have stopped taunting her.

"Oh? And why should I do that? You don't have to be embarrassed in front of me for looking like that! Everyone has their poor days!"

"I said leave! I'm not in the mood, and I don't have the time."

When she rushed into her home, Prussia found no other choice but to follow her and continue his interrogation. Around they went in the house to every room and corner- rampant questions found no answers due to the busy situation Hungary was stuck in. If he had paid more attention that day, maybe he would have noticed the boxes.

"Why can't you tell me? Is it some seret mission? Are you a spy now?"

"Shutup and leave me alone! Can't you see I'm in the middle of-"

_ 'Packing,'_ the poor country found herself finishing the sentence in her head as an incredibly frustrated and impatient German pinned her against the wall to leave her standing still. If he were any less determined to calm his curiosity, maybe he would have noticed her eyes flitting to his lips.

Despite his sudden action being rough by nature, he was careful not to injure her, and it was only held for as long as she stayed silent. She knew this instantly; Prussia made a habit of holding himself back whenever they were like this. Hurting a woman was low and despicable no matter how much she wished they could go back to the days of fighting and adventure.

The moment of closeness seemed to last for hours. It was suddenly years and years earlier- Prussia and Hungary had been in a similar situation; though that was an infinitely more compromising situation, the threat was still there. A reality that had been put off for far too long had no other choice but to show itself.

"I have no money left. My food rations are narrowing and I'm losing my land. I have no choice but to...relocate."

"Relocate? Where are you going?" She surely wasn't dissolving, right?

"I have to go where I'll survive. No matter what that means."

"Oh, come on! You'll be perfectly fine, I know it! And if you ask for it, I'll provide my awesome services for you-"

"I don't need your help, you arrogant prick! Now leave, I'm not done packing."

Only now realizing that she was truly vexed, he left her with a loud complaining whine that echoed across the recently vacated halls, though that could have been considered a rather tame version of a Prussian departure. Many times he had stolen a vase or other trinket only to return it in his next visit, asking her how long she looked for It. Sometimes a window would be broken, other times a small message would be written on a wall or door. His most extravagent stunt hadn't been so long ago: a scavenger hunt that had lasted a week and ended with a take-out dinner delivered by a poorly disguised Prussia. It became the protocol to plan for leaving and returning. Not that he minded, after all- Hungary had a strange but fixed place in his life.

That was why when he broke into her home three weeks later to find it empty, his energetic exterior broke. Replaced with a frantic desperation, he hoped and he prayed that she hadn't dissolved. There was no possible way that Hungary could just disappear like that without giving him some sort of goodbye.

And right then was when he found a small piece of paper with a short message. There was no sign that it was addressed to him or that she had even written it, but there was something about it that revealed everything he needed to know.

**"I'm fine where I am."**

The relief he felt was exponential. In spite of his calmed nature, that didn't mean he'd continue on as if nothing happened. From his finding the note to the moment he found a lead, he took little time off from searching for her, going from neighbor to neighbor and listening to every conversation possible in hopes of hearing about her.

A lead came to him after several long years. Word of a new maid passed between the Germanic brothers- a pretty young woman that had no choice but to move in with the first willing country that would take her. Such a country ended up being someone regrettable in Prussia's eyes: an old rival, Austria.

Two days later, Prussia showed up at Austria's house with every intent of forcing his way inside and judging for himself if she truly was fine in Austria's house.

"Oh Austria!" he called out in front of the door. The faint sound of a piano suddenly stopped. "Be a gracious host and invite me inside! It's fucking cold out here!" Several short moments later, the door opened as expected.

"What do you want? I have much to do."

"What, like bang on that old piano of yours? Don't you ever get tired from playing all that dull music? I feel sorry for that new maid of yours."

"Is that why you're here? For a minute I almost expected more from you."

The door was about to close until Prussia's foot was kicked in its way. He spoke a bit quieter this time, leaning in his head to try and see through the doorway.

"But you wouldn't happen to know where my manly girlfriend Hungary is, would you?"

Silent for a moment, Austria could only manage to blink twice before answering. "I don't think the Hungary we know is the same country. Are you stuck in the past? The Hungary I know is gracious and feminine. She simply wouldn't want to bother with someone like you."

_ 'Shows who knows who better,'_ Prussia thought, amused by the very strange image of a complacent and womanly Hungary. Sure, she wore dresses now and didn't fight much, but some things about people would never change. Hungary spent a large majority of her life believing she was a boy, acting like a boy, never letting the fact that she didn't have something dangling between her legs stop her from fighting and having adventures just as she wanted to.

"Do get rid of that dumb look on your face," Austria narrowed his eyes. "Whatever dillusions you have about Hungary should stop today. Out in the open, on her own, she was unable to support herself. Hungary is very safe in my household- don't compromise that for her."

"I wouldn't dream of it! But you shouldn't be surprised if she loses her womanly composure every once and a while."

After the very indirect order to leave, Prussia backed down, already planning in his mind how to return when Austria wouldn't catch him. This ended up with a great deal of stalking on Prussia's part as well as failed attempts at reaching his friend when he thought she'd notice he was (very literally) outside her window.

When he was next able to meet her, it was during an incredibly long shopping trip which Austria took half a day to come back from, but by then, Prussia had already left.

He had snuck in at almost the exact moment Austria left.

"You look better," he interrupted the quiet sweeping she was in the middle of. A shriek of surprise was the immediate response (in addition to a swipe via the broom she was holding, though her aim was far off its target. It truly had been a long time since she properly fought).

"Prussia!" was the only word she was able to get out.

"Happy to see me? Ha! Well, it has been a long time without my awesome friendship to depend on, so I don't blame you." Ignoring the fact that it was him going to such great lengths to find her, he continued teasing her. "The war doesn't look like it's affected your lovely face, or so Austria would say. For a boss, he seems like he takes too much interest in you. You know how rude he was to me the other day?! It wasn't even his business to get worked up about." Hungary had no idea Prussia had stopped by previously, so the statement went right over her head.

"Everything is strictly business between him and I!"

She seemed to be embarrassed by that, and with good reason, in Prussia's head. "How romantic," his monotone statement revealed the sarcasm. "I would've thought you'd want to take advantage of all the nice things he does for you. Think of all the money and goods you could get! But how is it you're all stuffy like him now? Bo-ring."

"Hey! I'm not stuffy!" she raised the nearest pan in a backhand position, ready to hit him, though the action never followed. "I'm not going to use him for his money. He is a good man! Doing that would be like stealing!"

"I knew that," he spat back, becoming annoyed. "It's not like you'd go and tie the knot with your stuffy boss anyway! He's a pretentious rich country that couldn't handle the thought of marrying a maid!"

Hungary's arm swung down, deflated, as did her eyes and face. Ashamed. A rambunctious, powerful country like herself reduced to a caretaker? Despite the fact she had convinced herself many times that embracing her womanhood was a good and proper thing, there were too many things she had missed from her childhood. Getting beaten up by Turkey all the time was a painful consequence, but the rest wasn't bad in the least.

Without anything else to say, she simply asked, "Why did you come here? To make fun of me like you did when we were kids? Belittle the small amount of pride I have left? Because I did what I had to so I could survive!" With a cold intensity, her grip on the pan intensified. "I may not like living like this, but Mr. Austria is kind to me. He's offered me a home and a life and he spared me from dissolving when I could do little for him in return. So why are you here?! If all you have to say is a repeat of things I've already heard, then leave!"

"Calm down!" he scratched the back of his head. When she wanted, she really could get under his skin. "So serious today," he muttered. "Seeing as how the first time didn't work, I thought I'd keep trying until I could judge you for myself."

Though he shrugged his shoulders and passed it off as nothing, Hungary knew better. There was something he wasn't saying._ 'Like he'd tell me anything. He could talk and talk on and on but would never say anything serious.'_ Reading between the lines seemed mandatory in this situation (just as it was in every other serious conversation between them). '_So terrible at communication.'_

But when she heard that one line, something didn't add up. "Wait," her head tilted and her eyes met with his, "what do you mean the first time? You came by?"

"Austria didn't tell you?! What a prick! Take a look at the garbage you work for, trying to keep childhood friends apart like that! Not even telling you I stopped by, now that's the real definition of rude. I tried a lot more but you never noticed me outside the window. You really missed out, you know, I'm this awesome for a reason. People need to acknowledge it-! Hey, why are you laughing? What's funny?!"

The giggles didn't stop until she snorted, resulting in Prussia laughing as well. He only heard her snort when she was drunk.

"Just thinking of you doing ridiculous things outisde the window is too much."

Hungary and Prussia didn't speak until after she saw his eyes running down her body- it took her a second to realize that he was genuinely curious about her wellbeing after all. It had been too long withot each other's company; it was the type of loneliness that sparked worry, even if this worry was never acknowledged or known by either of them.

_ 'Is he alright?'_

_ 'Is she eating okay?'_

_ 'Did anyone hurt him recently?'_

_ 'Does she have any problems?'_

_ 'Did he take care of himself since I last saw him?'_

Too many unanswered concerns that would never be voiced or admitted still floated around nonetheless. Underneath the annoyed, teasing nature of their friendship lied the true meaning of all the visits and interrogations and arguments. An affection that ran much deeper than words took very long to read, but once understood could never be forgotten. It existed in a paradoxal state. Though it could be read and understood, it was not consciously known. Though it carved their relationship to last past hardships and the brink of hatred, it was never taken into account. Perhaps, however, both had wondered about their affection for the other. Perhaps they, for a very brief moment, toyed with the idea of loving without covering it up with insults and taunts.

This was the leading force perpetuating the silence between the two after their laughter. This affection was the type that was forced to be felt, but the two stubborn countries wouldn't give in so easily.

Prussia lost it long enough to ask the question that maybe he had been wanting to ask since she left, but was unable to in light of their separation.

"So you like it here?"

"Yes," without skipping a beat. "I like staying here."

"With Austria."

"Yes."

"Serving him."

"Y-"

The machine that answered automatically had stalled after it realized its mistake. Happy to serve? Being a maid? Having no other choice but to take care of Little Italy? No, that wasn't true in the least. There was a certain pride in helping raise Italy (and a sense of accomplishment in keeping the mansion clean), but needless to say, this was not the life Hungary would have wanted for herself.

"Ha, see? You're not, and you don't have to admit it for me to know. I've already seen that look, and I know what it means. Did you forget I can read you better than anyone else?"

Demanding, demanding, demanding to be felt. Whatever force it was that guided them to very nearly admit the one thing they both always escaped from with relative ease was singing and flying around them before losing the strength beneath both of their iron wills.

"Try as you might to get rid of me, it just won't happen. I'm pretty sure you'd wither away without my awesome friendship! I'll be back to keep you company, promise. Don't get too lonely in the meantime!"

He left in the same way he arrived; a strange change to how he usually departed. A small voice in Hungary's head hoped that he wouldn't do that often. It was too weird of him to leave without making a fuss.

By the time Prussia got home, it wasn't very late, but he still felt tired. Too many emotions made him that way: unable to do much else, unwilling to do much else, and altogether doing nothing else. Sleep happened to be the one working remedy.

The only thought he had before completely blacking out was the fact that he made a promise to her that day, and would probably have to keep it too. After all, having her suffer under the stuffy working conditions that were Austria's house would be like declaring he was throwing her to the dogs. It simply wasn't right.

Promises were a tricky thing, however, and tricky to keep. The real difficulty did not lie in face value, but in every vein and breath that gave life to their relationship. The structure of a promise would twist to create a new reality, a new living creature to be nurtured in any and every way possible.


	2. Chapter 2

AN; Hello everyone! I hope you all liked the first chapter and like this one as well. The plot will most definitely pick up speed after this chapter, and you all can expect longer chapters as well! Reviews are much appreciated!

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On the day Holy Rome left, Hungary had to double up her chores to take care of the ones that Italy would miss; the poor child was so shaken that Austria had let him off for the day. This left Hungary to finish her work somewhat late, though not too long after sunset, allowing her to take a seat and relax her mind by the time the stars came out.

At the leave of Holy Rome, Italy hadn't been the only one distraught. In a different light, Hungary also felt the burden of Holy Rome's leaving for war, but in the form of childhood memories and "what ifs." Her biggest question came from observing little heartbroken Italy; what if Hungary had to lose someone like that? What if her childhood had been different and her friends hadn't survived after one of their fights? One knight in particular gave her the most uneasiness- he had always been off to war time and time again. What if he had lost one of those times? What if his power grew too much for him to handle?

Out of all the worrisome wonderings, the most confusing one was why this was still bothering her. It was true that she could have dissolved because of Turkey, but she was alive and well now. It was true that Prussia could have bitten off more than he could true, but he was alive and well too. Everything was in the past.

'_What if the past had turned out differently? What if he didn't come home? How would I-_'

The possibility still applied. He was still out there, still fighting, still stirring up battles. She was the one waiting on him to return. If he hadn't, she had the overwhelming hunch that she wouldn't be able to handle the loneliness that followed such a thing. Besides her own feelings, however, annoying her must be a way to pass his time when he wasn't knocking on death's door; nothing more. If she hadn't returned from one of her fights, would he be affected the same way she'd be? '_Am I nothing more to him than a cure to boredom? Is this friendship, this care, one-sided?_'

Being caught up in her emotions, Hungary found no reason to believe that Prussia was any different. His arrogant attitude, obnoxious personality and narcissistic presence backed up her negative thoughts to the point where a nearby bottle of wine was looking ever so tempting. Normally she'd only drink if she were with company or in a good mood, but her sudden dillema was grasping for a cure- even a temporary one.

The bottle was half-full; she would have preferred to drink more than just that, but observing that the several other bottles on the kitchen table were empty, she'd have to deal with the limited stock. Combining with the alcohol, her feelings intensified into a "life's not fair!" type of attitude, leaving a bad air in the kitchen. Within moments, the wine was gone.

As the alcohol caught up with her system and she felt more of the effects, the window behind her opened, revealing a quiet Prussian working his way inside.

"There's a door over there," she pointed, but remembered that she was mad at him and turned away.

"What, are you mad at me? I didn't break anything this time! But since you're already upset, I may as well. Austria could use some new chairs."

When he didn't receive a response, he stepped closer.

"Come on! Not even one little insult?"

Still nothing.

"What's wrong with you tonight?! It's freaking me out!" Taking the seat next to her at the table, he tapped her shoulder to make sure she was awake, as her hair had been covering her downturned face. "Tell me why you're acting weird!"

Her hand went to her mouth to try and stop herself from making any noises, but when her shoulders shook and a couple of sniffles escaped her, it became clear that something was wrong.

"Nothing," despite her shaking voice, she attempted to pass it off.

"Ha! You're a horrible liar."

Only just now seeing the multiple empty bottles of wine on the table, he understood then that her emotional trouble must have been due to being drunk. Prussia couldn't necessarily smell too much alcohol on her, but he didn't count that as evidence against his theory.

"I get it now, you've been drinking too much! You'll be back to your normal manly self by morning." The multiple times he drank with her without encountering her in such a state didn't happen to be evidence against his argument either. Really, he just wanted to blame her troubles on trivial things that could go away easily; handling her when she was truly upset wasn't one of his strong suits. The rare times he had tried, he tended to only make things worse. Blaming everything on alcohol was easy and easily fixed.

Unanticipated was the resulting response; by trying not to make things worse, he made things worse.

"What do you care anyway?! Why should you be so curious and nosy about me and my problems? I'm just another person to bother!"

"Where the hell did-"

"You could have died!" His question was cut off by yet another unanticipated statement. "You could have died at any time, and I'd be lonely all the time because of it. You annoying dick, you wouldn't even blink an eye if I'd died! If I'd gone off to war and never came back, it would have been nothing to you."

Why she was going off about that, Prussia had no idea, but a vague sense of guilt was starting to hit him. He had snuck inside after dark for a reason, but that reason was now lost to a more immediate matter he knew he wouldn't be able to get out of.

"And more," her hand slammed on the table, "you keep going, and going, and going. The only time you visit me is when you're not fighting. God knows I'd be fighting if I could, but Italy needs me, and Mr. Austria needs me, and I have to get back on my feet. Do you know how much thinking I can do with all this time working instead of fighting? What life means to me..." she grew quiet. '_I'd be devastated if you never came back_,' she wanted to tell him, but the words didn't form.

Prussia saw it coming. Her expression was easy to read. In fact, she looked about ready to keep talking about it, so he stopped her with his hand over her mouth.

"You clearly don't know me as well as I know you. So hurtful! Here I thought we were friends-"

Again, he managed to do the opposite of improve the situation. A sigh escaped him and he moved his hand to hold hers on the table in a loose attempt at comfort. "I'm always so awesome when I'm around other people, but the minute I try to make you feel better, I make it worse. You're an unlucky charm."

She couldn't move far past the fact that he was holding her hand, but was at least able to tell that he was only teasing her about being unlucky.

"You're the idiot that keeps coming back. And for the record, I only drank half a bottle of wine. The other bottles were already empty." Under his skeptical gaze, she changed the topic. "I thought you made things worse on purpose."

"How screwed up do you take me for?! I mean sure, I break shit and annoy you, that's on purpose, but that's what we do! It's not like I seriously hate you or anything!"

Hungary couldn't reply for a long minute. She felt both relieved and guilty at his answer: relieved that he was making an effort and guilty that she doubted their friendship.

Feeling restless at her lack of a follow-up, he stood and paced from the sink and back to his chair several times, only stopping when she spoke again.

"Did you come by because of your promise?"

"Duh. Only lame people make promises they don't plan on keeping. Besides, I came by all the time without having to. I told you before, my friendship skills are awesome."

She felt like a child as she wiped away her drunken tears; standing to her feet, she made her way over to Prussia. The embrace she pulled him into was much warmer than the chair.

He tried his best not to freak out despite how flustered he was getting. "Are you sure you didn't drink that much?" He didn't get an answer. "Hey, are you-"

Her arms loosened around his torso. Asleep. With no other choice, he picked her up as gently as he could manage and carried her away to her bedroom. His face only reddened so much on the trip there- having her in his arms managed to fluster him for the first couple of minutes, though it was something he was willing to get used to.

'_There she goes again, getting under my skin, and she's not even awake_.'

The night had turned cold during their time in the kitchen. Even colder was Hungary's room, which had been scarcely furnished, leaving Prussia to worry about how uncomfortable it would be to wake up in the middle of the night shivering, or waking up without feeling your toes or fingers. Common sense told him the extra blankets must have been in her closet.

He had to move a few hanging dresses from their positions to get to the pile of blankets in the corner. Among these dresses was a single coat that stood out from the rest, with it's familiar dark blue color-

"Oh."

Why she had kept the coat he gave her after so long left him wondering about what she said. She'd gone on and on about life and death and war and fighting. About losing him. It was almost annoying how serious he had to be to even think back about it, and he wondered aloud, "Off to war a lot? Why do you always get so serious when I drop by?"

Reguardless, he continued on to cover her with the blankets from the closet, feeling a sense of satisfaction when she wriggled into it, the most obvious look of comfort on her face.

"I guess you're not too unlucky. While you're asleep, at least."

He somehow found his warm hands covering her smaller, colder ones. Cold fingers were even more frustrating than cold toes; that he knew from experience.

"I was going to tell you something today, but I guess it'll have to wait until I come back. Can't have you sleeping through my awesome news."

With that, he left, and Hungary dared open her eyes back up from "sleeping." Her hands were warm. She could still smell a vague hint of the knight lingering on her blankets and her collar, where his arm had been holding up her head while he carried her. What exactly was she feeling? She had only wanted to see what he'd do in that type of situation; besides feeling reassured that he thought of her as something more positive than a rival, there was still a lingering restlessness from something else she couldn't identify. Was her uneasiness stemming from their friendship, or something else? Was she confused or in fear of something less platonic? Moreover, was this fear from the thought of her feelings being unrequited or mutually shared?

Seeing as how she was too comfortable to get out of bed, sleeping seemed more and more lovely in each second she kept her eyes open. Her last thought before shutting her eyes for the night was Prussia. Whatever his news was, she was anxious to hear it.

The next morning, just as Hungary gets ready to clean the breakfast dishes, a knock at the door accompanied a familiar, "Be a good host and open the door, Austria! Just because I always beat you up doesn't mean you have to hold a grudge!"

A certain hunch gave the hint that Mr. Austria would probably keep Prussia from coming inside. Knowing that he had something to talk about with her, she rushed to the front door just in time to keep him from having the door slam in his face.

"I'm sorry Mr. Austria, I must have forgotten to tell you I was having a guest over."

This caused the both of them to quickly forget what they were about to say to each other, though Prussia went with it, offering Austria the cheekiest smile he could manage, and strutting his way inside without a care in the world. Hungary ruined his walk of arrogance by gripping his collar and dragging him into the kitchen, throwing another apology at Austria before either of the countries could protest.

Once in the kitchen, Prussia managed a haughty laugh towards Hungary's direction. The only thing she offered him in response was a cup of coffee.

He watched her clean dishes for at least ten minutes, enjoying the coffee and the face she made Austria make at the notion of having him over as a guest. The quiet was getting unnerving to him, however, so he did his best to cure it.

"Sleep alright?"

She'd blushed at remembering how nice his warm hands felt on her own last night.

"With so many blankets on me, how could I not?"

It was Prussia's turn to redden at the thought. '_She did look comfortable by the time I left..._'

"That was the point," was all he muttered. Giggles came from Hungary, but before he could ask her why she laughed, another little guest came into the room.

"Miss Hungary!" Italy came into the kitchen with red eyes and a sad look about him.

"I'll clean upstairs today. Can you tell Mr. Austria?"

"Of course I can!"

After Italy left the kitchen, Prussia questioned if Italy was what reminded her of the past, which she confirms without the animosity she held last night.

"Italy isn't very strong, so he doesn't react well to war. He's just a kid, too."

"When we were just kids, we kicked a lot of ass."

Hungary gave a wistful stare out of the window, nodding. "It was so normal to us. Fighting wasn't much of a problem."

"What's that look for?! You lost plenty of battles-" a stiff punch to the shoulder set him quiet. '_I still manage to get on her bad side_!'

"No, I'll bet you're remembering all the fun times we had," he teased.

"Maybe," she nodded again, but he quickly argued.

"I was just joking!"

"Were you?" she raised an eyebrow and met his eyes. "Because you held my hand twice last night, carried me to bed and made sure I wasn't cold or uncomfortable."

"You faked being asleep?!"

"...I'll admit it was foolish, but doing alll of that for someone who's just a friend seems a bit much, don't you think?"

"What are you getting at?"

"I'm more than a friend to you! Hah, I can see you right now, your face saying 'I've been caught!' so don't even try and argue with me!"

"This isn't something to talk about this early in the morning!"

Forgetting all about her plan to get him to talk about what he meant to say the night before, she continued on with the matter at hand.

"At least we're on the same page," her expression was calm and contrasting with the bubbling excitement underneath a first glance. "You should go, though. I have a lot of work today since Italy can't do as much, and you'll only distract me by sticking around for too long."

Dumbfounded. Prussia's expression revealed every amount of shock from the short encounter as one would expect. His lack of upbeat extroversion was foreign to Hungary, but so strange and entertaining that she almost lost her cool front to laugh. Halfway out of the kitchen he turned and straightened his collar.

"I'll, uh...be back tomorrow."

When he left the house, every overwhelming amount of excitement and happiness spilled out. She stayed like that the rest of the day, even facing a bit of giddiness thanks to her impatience for the next day to come. Prussia was giddy as well, though for a different reason; his news would have only spoiled the good mood she put them both in. It'd have to wait until the next day.

If either had known the severity of the situation, they might have re-done that day, or possibly even those before it. No matter how much they wish for it, however, the past can't be undone, and certain things can't be avoided. Through the adversity, both will gain the ability to see through the masks they've worn for centuries around the other, and their put-away secrets rise to the surface until they cry out to be heard.


	3. Chapter 3

AN; Hello again~. In this chapter there's a lot of content that isn't really mentioned in Hetalia but took place in history; I'm not sure if I'll be doing that a lot in upcoming chapters, but I know I will be doing it around a certain time frame (you'll find out when I get there!), so you guys can look forward to that~. Reviews are appreciated!

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The days were nearly always bright; a stunning contrast to the stark dreariness of Hungary's neverending battles. Her armies barely won and as Turkey grew more powerful with her every defeat, a win continued to shrivel into an unlikely outcome. Many fights had to end in her running away, but she grew increasingly tired and wounded. Escape, just as a win, became less likely as time went on. Where was her miracle battle? The one fight she could win that would throw Turkey off of her back? It would have given her enough time to build back up her strength to keep winning and keep her enemy away. Unfortunately, in her youth, it never came.

Her boss hadn't exactly given her any inspiration or determination. He ran away as often as she did, and on one particular day, died during one of his escapes, leaving her to try and fend off Turkey for herself. Of course the feat was impossible, and so close to crumbling, Hungary found herself in a repeat of her dead leader's last day. Turkish forces close-by, she could only hide away in the forest for so long. She'd be caught before she was able to gain back any strength.

How would Papa Hun have reacted to her defeat? Would he have realized that the little country he raised simply couldn't outrun the Ottoman Empire? Would she see him again when she was defeated?

Defending against Turkey had consumed most of her young life. She had to leave her friends and her life behind in order to survive. Hungary had grown up in the war against him with only the company of her own people to take care of the loneliness and unyielding bloodshed that type of life provided in abundance. That was why, at the very first sound of non-Turkish company, she called out for help without shame or reserve.

Meeting an old friend that day was the last thing she expected- nevertheless, the hope Prussia gave her that day, the repeating thought in her head that there were still friends in her life that cared for her, carried her on battle after battle. Until her land was completely occupied by the Turks and her government was under their control, she didn't step down for a moment.

Hungary opened her eyes from the dream. It wasn't often the past came up like that, but Prussia had caused her to think of many things she didn't think of previously, so it wasn't too much of a surprise.

It took her a moment after waking up and reminiscing to recall the fact that she'd been excited for that day. What with the (mostly) indirect confession the night before and his news to look forward to that day, Hungary didn't have a reason to stay in bed any longer. Quickly dressing herself and making her way towards the front of the house, she realized that she hadn't seen Austria at all on her way, but thought nothing of it as the knock she had been expecting sounded at the door.

The sight she had to face upon opening the door wasn't immediately interpreted. Two people were there, not one, and both were dressed in deep blue uniforms with swords at their sides. Military uniforms. Prussia's company gave Hungary a salute and she realized that he must have been a commander of sorts, as he was armed just like Prussia.

He felt guilty in an instant. He could see her trying to look for an easy excuse for his appearance. Maybe there was a ceremony or parade to celebrate his victories over the years. Maybe there was a weak enemy he could crush in a day or two and he only wanted to tell her to show off. None of these were the real truth of it, but Hungary told herself to think of them before thinking of the worst. With all of her worrying about him fighting all the time, he knew very well that he should have told her earlier rather than the very day he was heading off, but time wasn't always kind. This time, neither of them would be allowed to cherish last night's confession before having to face their relationship's first trial.

For Prussia, it was to come back in one piece. For Hungary, it was to wait with patience.

"Sweden's giving me a rough time. My armies aren't doing so well dealing with it. Poland's also giving us a lot of grief, making me reread all of the stupid fine print of our agreement even though he's made me read it plenty of times and I know damn well what he wants from me-"

Austria heard the exchange and watched from the nearby hallway. Neither Hungary or Prussia noticed.

"But you shouldn't worry! I didn't forget about our promise. I'll come back fine if you stay here and don't make me look for you. I'm so awesome I'd find you anyway, come to think of it, but you should stay here anyway so that I know where to send letters."

"You'd better write me often," she points a finger.

"Don't count on it, princess, writing's a big hassle during war- ow!"

After hitting his shoulder, she sighed. "I'd save you the trouble and go with you if I could, but there's no helping it."

"Don't even think about it! You'd only lose and I'd have to swoop in and save you like the awesome knight I am. Letting a damsel in distress onto the battlefield wouldn't be- ow! Stop doing that!"

There would probably be a bruise on his shoulder the next time he'd be able to check, but he didn't worry about it too long. Deep down he felt that he deserved it for holding back his news for an entire three days. What kind of time they could have spent together until he left...

"I said a lot about war and fighting, but it's something we all have to do. And I failed, but that doesn't mean you can."

Something soft touched her cheek for a second- a pair of lips, she noticed. For the one giving the kiss, Prussia responded more to it, trying to pass it off as a spur of the moment thing that he promised he didn't plan. Her soft smile frustrated him even more; '_Why does she look so lovely in the morning_?!'

Storming off in the other direction, which Hungary found quite funny, he called out, "I won't be long!"

She watched him leave, happy that he had gone out of his way to give her a proper goodbye, but still conflicted with the knowledge that the kind of problems he was dealing with tended to take a while to sort out. Not only was it one country, but two that were giving him trouble; Hungary was completely sure that he only said he'd not be gone long to keep her calm.

From 1619 to 1637, Hungary received at least two yearly letters around summer and the end of fall. Many of them looked very similar, but knowing that if he stopped writing it would only serve to unnerve her, they kept coming. Most of them looked like the following:

**Hungary**,

_Sweden's treating my land like he owns it, going around marching wherever he wants to. Poland and Lithuania think they're all that, it's like all they care about is making me realize that they own me. They can bet their asses I'll get back at them soon enough! As soon as my army shapes up, they're in for it, and Sweden too. My boss is being too freaking frustrating though, the coward! It's like he doesn't even know how to run a country! It wouldn't surprise me if he ran off one of these days. It's probably serve us better if he did just that, in fact. He's holding back my awesome abilities! I don't know when he'll shape up, but the minute he does, it shouldn't be too long before I come back_.

-**Prussia**

In 1637, however, his boss ran away, leaving a much more capable man to lead Prussia's armies and government. The first letter that year came days after his old boss' escape took place.

**Hungary**,

_The old man ran off. Can you believe it? It's a miracle! I'll be able to manage the armies with my new boss, we've finally got a sane guy at the top. My meeting with Poland keeps getting pushed back thanks to the shitstorm Sweden left me in, though, and I don't know when I can sort out a deal with him that'll let me come back. I'll make sure he doesn't take too long with it_.

-**Prussia**

Hungary, inbetween the arrival of letters, stayed in a constant state of worry and thoughtfulness about Prussia's situation. Austria tried multiple times to cure her absentminded nature with offers of taking her out to dinner or taking her to see an opera; with every refusal, his hatred of Prussia continued to grow. He didn't like seeing Hungary so affected by another person, but he had to admit, he liked it when the letters came. It calmed her down for a night- a refreshing sight to see after the majority of 20 years were spent in that regretable state of mind.

It was in 1641 Prussia revealed that he only just then got to speak with Poland.

**Hungary**,

_I'll spare you the details: Poland's an asshole. After four years of holding off Sweden, I was only recently allowed to see him in a formal meeting, and he suddenly thinks he'll get away with wasting my time? I'll get out from underneath his royal high chair soon enough, all I have left to deal with is him now. After that, everything should be sorted out._

-**Prussia**

Time passed by strangely and unpredictably. Inbetween letters, hours were days and days were weeks, but once they passed, it only felt like a single second. Then there were the days his letters would arrive. She'd read his scratchy handwriting over and over until she very nearly memorized what it said, but the time was too quick to dwell on it for too long. 23 years felt like nothing at all as she looked back on them.

1654, a full 13 years later, still didn't feel like much time had passed until the second letter she received that year.

**Hungary**,

_Sweden started off as a pain in the ass, but he's about to help me out with my problems with Poland. If things go right, everything should be wrapped up here and I'll be back by fall._

-**Prussia**

He'd be back by fall? Hungary had wanted to see him again from the day he left, but after nearly half a decade of being apart, it made her nervous. What if he looked different? What if he came back covered in scars and looking nothing like he did when he left? What if she looked different? Sure, she saw herself in the mirror most days, but that wasn't a good way of keeping track of the changes over the years.

For the remaining month of summer the days passed by faster than ever, her focus solely on the day he'd come back. Not that she'd make that too obvious; she still worked harder than ever for Austria and looked after Italy as she normally did, but in her eyes was an anticipation that anyone could see if they looked long enough.

On the last day of summer, just as the sun was going down, a familiar tweeting sounded through the open window of the kitchen. The muffled playing of the nearby piano halted, though Hungary hadn't been paying attention, already on her way outside to greet the man she hadn't seen for half a century.

Her first impression was that he hadn't changed a bit, but at closer inspection there was a very clear white mark across his cheek- a scar that looked aged.

"You haven't been taking care of your injuries properly? What other scars do you have, huh? You idiot, you can't be so careless like that!"

"That can't be the first thing you say to me after 46 years! Not an 'I missed you!' or an 'I'm glad to see you back!' but you nag me about a scar? You better not nag me every time I visit, Elizabeta!"

"Then don't give me things to nag you about, Gilbert!"

The argument was short-lived, lips more willing to embrace than speak another word; they crashed into the kiss with every ouce of the craving they'd felt for so many years. For the first time ever, their love for each other was bare and uninterrupted. Their relationship's first test had passed with flying colors and that night held other firsts for them as well, lasting deep into the night.

From then on, Hungary had spent a lot of nights finding ways to sneak Prussia inside and sneak herself outside without Austria finding out. He found it slightly suspicious that Prussia never visited the house during the day (though it should be noted that from his perspective, it seemed as if he never came around at all), but hell would freeze over before he would bring up Prussia in a casual conversation, and most definitely not with Hungary. She had the most delighted look about her; Austia feared that by mentioning Prussia, she'd lose that nice spark to her eye.

It seemed that some things were not meant to last, however.

"Is something wrong, Hungary? You seem a bit off today."

Indeed she was. After sneaking Prussia out of her window that morning, she was delivered a letter addressed from her army back home. Her boss was building them back up again, preparing for more warfare against Turkey. She handed Austria the letter without speaking.

"I don't know what to do," she muttered. "My boss is still my boss and my army is still my army, but what will happen when they are defeated for the last time? My government will have no more protection and Turkey will take everything I have left. He already had most of it and now they're planning on giving him the rest?!"

"If they were planning on giving him what he doesn't have, they wouldn't be building up again. Your people want to fight back and put you up on your own two feet, that's why they're doing what they're doing."

"But can they do it, do you think? Do you think I'll be able to get out from under Turkey's thumb if they do this?"

"I think it's possible. Don't tell me you can't remember beating me up all those times when we were kids?"

"Well, you were pretty easy to beat up back then. Now you've got a scary army all around you."

"With enough work, Turkey will think the exact same thing as you just said once you've escaped him."

He couldn't tell her to her face that he doubted her army's abilities. She had gained so much confidence after he encouraged her, and to break all that down would have been outright cruel. But she had no idea he was hiding those kinds of thoughts from her; that day, her confidence in her people never swayed. Prussia took notice of it during that night's visit.

"Something exciting happened while I was gone? It's lame I miss everything good during the day because of him!"

"You know he'd kick you out in a minute if he knew what you were doing," she whispered harshly. "Besides, it wasn't so much exciting as it was motivating. Here."

She handed him the letter, the paper bent and crinkled from being opened and closed multiple times during the day.

"Sweet! You're planning on kicking more ass!"

"My army is. I'm not sure if I can join them on the battlefield this time."

His eyes widening and his gaze motioning to the door several times, he pointed to the direction of the hallway, still with that shocked look on his face. "He can't keep you from doing what your people are calling for you to do. He's only your boss because you're cleaning his house, he doesn't own you."

"I wasn't talking about Mr. Austria! I don't know if my people will need me or if they can bring themselves to forgive me for being like this for so long."

"They sent you a letter about how they're going to get stronger. I'd take it as an invitation."

"I know you would."

"Everything will turn out just fine and you know it. If you were going to be defeated by Turkey, you'd be gone by now, but you're too strong for that. And so is your army."

Pride was a very simple thing, but to Hungary, it meant the world. She kept in the fact that being under Turkey's thumb was degrading in every way possible- despite that, Prussia could see that having faith in her army brought up her spirits, like the pride of a mother whose sons were the winning generals of a war. He wouldn't be surprised if she actually did think of her army as her sons.

He could even see it as she slept. As if her dreams were the most pleasant ones she'd had yet, her lips were settled in a smile; he'd like to think it was because he slept next to her most nights, but with this news, he was reminded of which was more likely. She'd been beaten by Turkey since they were kids- to gain a chance like this was far beyond any happiness he could have given her personally.

However even considering the positive news, as per how she decided to perceive the military's newest actions, having Prussia next to her was still that one simple victory she could keep enjoying night after night. Her arm found its way around his torso and they stayed for the rest of the night, not thinking that they'd rather be anywhere else for a good long while.


End file.
